Sunday, April 10, 2011

Bob Dylan: Piano Man

"I’m here to create the new imperial empire
I’m going to do whatever circumstances require" - Honest With Me

Tomorrow night, Bob Dylan, or "Baobo Dilun" (鲍勃迪伦) as the Chinese say, will be playing Hong Kong for the second time in his career. His current Asian tour has been inspiring rapturous reviews from Beijing to Ho Chi Minh City, but also an undercurrent of criticism from the likes of Human Rights Watch and the New York Times'Maureen Dowd. As Gawker's Max Read put it, they're mad that Bob didn’t overthrow the Chinese government. It's ridiculous and much of it is based on unsubstantiated reports that authorities vetted his playlist, even going so far as censoring such subversive manifestos as "Blowin' In The Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

Now you see this one-eyed midget shouting the word "NOW!"
And you say, "For what reason?"
And he says, "How?"
And you say, "What does this mean?"
And he screams back, "You're a cow!
Give me some milk or else go home!"

I also know he's been playing more piano than guitar, which is a very good sign. Bob can play - he's got chops and soul:

Then there's this chestnut from Slow Train Coming, "When He Returns" (via Godtube):

Bob's playing two nights, April 12-13 at the Star Hall in Kowloon Bay. Wouldn't miss it for all for all the farms in Cuba.